


Queens & Thieves

by pipermack



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, No culebras au, Soulmates AU, alternate universe - no culebras
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-25
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-04-28 00:09:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5070298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pipermack/pseuds/pipermack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kate Fuller is trying to get out of town. Seth Gecko is trying to get rich (or die trying). They never expected to meet each other at all, let alone in a bank in Abiline, Texas. </p><p>Soulmate AU where your soulmate’s first words show up on the back of your hand when you’re both eighteen. Just the beginning of an idea I'm working on.</p><p>I’m SethKate trash and I can’t help myself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

Kate Fuller traced her finger over her hand absentmindedly as she waited in line at the bank, trying to calm herself down. This would be a quick, in and out trip. Empty her account then hit the road, and make the border by the afternoon. Nobody would miss her, nobody would come looking. Once she got out of Abilene, she might actually stand a chance of meeting the person who'd say the phrase branded on the back of her hand. 

She traced over the words again, smiling softly. Somewhere, someday, she'd meet her soulmate and his first words (or hers, for that matter) would be "Good morning princess." She liked to imagine that it would be a romantic encounter, something straight out of a Nicolas Sparks novel. Her soulmate would buy her a coffee or bump into her on the sidewalk or something, and they'd realize who each other were, and Kate would never have to think about her dead mother or drunk father or screw-off brother ever again. She just had to get out of Abilene first.

She made it up to the counter finally, closing her account and shoving the cash in her purse, zipped in the same pocket as her passport and her fake ID. She had just walked to the door when suddenly it burst opened and two men in their late twenties or early thirties came pushing in, one with a handgun and one with what looked like a shotgun. "What the hell!" Kate shouted, right before the one with the shotgun grabbed her.

\--

Seth Gecko looked at his hand again with a frown, rubbing over the words and reaching for the flask on the seat between he and his brother.

“I still can’t believe it,” Richie said with a smirk. “A Gecko Brother finally got the Mark, and it says ‘what the hell’. He chuckled and Seth scowled at him.

“Shut up, Richard,” he mumbled. “It’s not funny. And as soon as we get across the border, I’m getting it removed.”

Richie rolled his eyes. “You can’t get that shit removed, Seth,” he said. “You know that.”

“Covered then!” he said. “Because I can’t afford this soulmate shit. You know that. Especially since she apparently just turned fucking eighteen.” 

He took another swig from the flask and Richie reached over to grab it. “Knock it off,” he said. “We have to get through this job. Hey…” Seth glanced over and Richie raised an eyebrow. “You good? Just… don’t worry about this shit, okay?”

Seth sighed. “I’m fine,” he grumbled. “I’ve got this. We’ve pulled jobs like this a hundred times. I know what I’m doing.” They approached the bank and Seth parked. “C’mon, go over it one more time.”

Richie rolled his eyes, pulling his glasses off, tucking them into his jacket pocket, and pushing his sunglasses onto his face. “We bust in, take out the guard and the two cameras—one behind the counter and one on the wall—then you corral everyone and confiscate phones, and I’ll disarm the back alarm.”

Seth nodded, rifling around in the backseat as he listened to Richie. “Here.” He sat up and handed his brother a handgun, grabbing the shotgun. “Then?”

Richie sighed as he checked out the piece, making sure he had a full magazine. “Then I grab the branch manager or a teller and make them open the safe, we grab our shit, and get out.”

Seth nodded, slipping on his sunglasses. “Good. Got your balls on?” 

Richie nodded. “Screwed on tight.”

“Any son of a bitch messes with you—“

“You’ve got my back.” Richie slipped out of the car and Seth followed suit. “Here’s to getting rich and fat,” Richie said, pretending to toast a drink.

“And dying in the arms of a beautiful woman,” Seth finished with a grin. 

They nodded and made their move, storming into the bank. Seth heard someone shout so he grabbed the nearest person, a young girl, clamping his hand around her mouth. "Good morning, Princess," he said with a smirk, before turning to address the rest of the hostages.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth and Kate have a chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will look familiar if you read my other SethKate fic The Road to Ruin.... And that's because this plot idea came to me as an AU of that AU. Enjoy!

"Shit." Seth tightened his grip on the wheel, glancing in the rear view mirror when the thumping started up again. He sighed, shaking his head as he looked back to the road, trying his best to ignore the mark on his hand that now shined a brilliant gold.

Richie looked towards the backseat, shaking his head. "We're never gonna make the border, not with her back there making all that racket," he pointed out.

"Well that wouldn't have been a problem if you hadn't brought her, now would it?" Seth countered, glancing at his brother then looking in the rear view mirror again. He took another swig from the bottle next to him, stepping on the gas just a little more.

Richie grumbled under his breath, slumping in his seat and pouting. "If I hadn't've brought her, we'd have been mist on the side of that bank and you know it."

"We don't take hostages, Richard! And this is exactly why!" Seth slammed his hand against the steering wheel. "It gets messy! And complicated! Do you even fucking remember Tucson?"

"Tacoma--"

"Not the point!"

It was silent for a moment, the tension thick as Richie played with his duct tape bandage and Seth fumed to himself. "You know what would have happened to you if we left her, Seth. To both of you," Richie finally said. "Besides, she may be our ticket across the border."

Seth rolled his eyes, about to counter when the banging in the trunk started again. With an aggravated sigh, he pulled the car over. "Stay here," he said. Before Richie could protest, Seth slammed the door behind him and stormed around to the trunk, glancing around quickly to make sure the coast was clear of any passerby. When he was sure it was clear, he pulled it open, looking at the girl. "Alright Princess, you and I are gonna have a little chat."

\--

Kate thumped her feet against the car, harder this time, trying to make a sound around the duct tape covering her mouth as well. She had no idea where they were at this point but she knew they'd stopped and that there'd been some sort of explosion and then they'd moved again. She'd kicked and screamed as much as she could, but nobody heard. Nobody came. Now they'd stopped again, and she kept kicking.

She looked at her hands taped together in front of her, the mark on her hand glowing softly. Whimpering, she kicked again. How could the man who said those words be a bank robber? A Gecko brother to boot? How could he use her as a human shield and then kidnap her and toss her in the back of a smelly old car? It didn't make sense, not with what she had imagined.

_At least you're out of Abilene_ , a voice in the back of her head taunted. _At least somebody wants you._

With a groan, Kate was about to thump her feet again when the trunk swung open. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light, finally landing on the man who'd taken her, the man whose hand also bore a glowing mark, she'd noticed. She glared at him but the car door opened and the man looked up, sighing when he saw his brother walking back. "I thought I told you to stay in the car, Richard," he grumbled. "I--"

And then her phone rang.

Everyone paused for a second and the first guy sighed again. "I thought you grabbed her phone, Seth," the other one, Richard, replied, coming over and peering into the trunk.

"Yeah, me too," Seth replied. He reached down, patting her purse and then her pockets until he found it. He slid the phone out of the pocket on her shorts, handing it back to Richie, who threw it on the ground and stomped on it. Seth looked down at the girl, shrugging. "That was your last lifeline, Princess," he said. "Now you have a few options here, alright? Nod if you comprende." Kate whimpered but nodded reluctantly. "Good. One," Seth counted on his hand, careful to keep the glowing mark hidden as much as possible. "You stay silent back here and we maybe give you water and a bathroom break at some point. Two, you decide you can behave and you ride with us until we can figure out what to do about our, well, situation. Three--"

"Seth, c'mon, we need to go--"

"Shut up Richard!" Seth said, holding a finger up to silence him. He looked back at the girl and sighed. "Three, we leave you here on the side of the road and you and I suffer the consequences. I hear that it's not a pleasant experience."

Kate whimpered, shaking her head violently. The last thing she wanted was to be separated. She'd heard the horror stories of marked pairs separating, the pain even driving them to madness in extreme cases.

Glancing back at his brother, Seth frowned, then looked at the girl again. "I'm gonna take this off, okay?" He said. "You scream, we jump straight to option three." Kate nodded and Seth reached in, yanking the duct tape away in one fluid motion.

Kate winced then glared up at Seth. "Let me out," she said. "I'm not going anywhere, you know I can’t.”

Rolling his eyes, Seth pulled out his pocket knife and reached down to cut the tape binding her feet, slipping the knife back into his pocket then pulling her out. "Go get in the car, Richard," he said.

Richie frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. “I don’t think—”

“No, you don’t think. That’s what got us into this mess,” Seth replied, looking at his brother. “Just… get in the car. I’ll deal with her.”

Richie rolled his eyes but nodded, trudging off. Looking down at the girl, Seth sighed. "I'm gonna cut your hands free alright? You gonna behave?"

Kate bit the inside of her lip and nodded. "Yeah, I will," she said softly.

Seth got out his knife again, cutting the tape from her hands and tossing it aside. Holding both her hands in one of his, he slipped the knife back into his pocket. Looking back up at Kate, he paused for a moment, following her gaze to their hands. The golden writing on each of their hands seemed to be pulsating, and Seth frowned. He pulled his hand away and brushed it off on his pants. "You've got sixty seconds, then we're going, with or without you," he said, trying to stay nonchalant as he leaned against the car.

Kate frowned but nodded. She stretched her arms above her head, then hurried to pull her shirt down where it had risen up, trying to ignore the feeling of the man's eyes on her. "I... I'm Kate," she said finally. "Seth right? You're the Geckos? You uh, that's what you said at the bank, anyway."

Seth sighed, looking down at the ground. "Yeah, that's me," he said. Looking back up at the girl, Seth shook his head. "Listen, I don't care how many times you've seen the Notebook or whatever, but this ain't that. There are some people who say they can fix... Whatever this is, once we get across the border. And that's exactly where we're headed, got it?"

Kate frowned some but nodded. "Yeah..." She mumbled. She doubted it was true, that anyone could remove the mark, but it would be for the best to try, probably. How was she supposed to stay bonded to an outlaw, anyway?

"Good," Seth replied. "Sixty seconds are up. You coming, Princess?"

Kate nodded, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Yeah, let's go."


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trio stops for the night. Seth and Kate have another chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will look familiar if you read my other SethKate fic The Road to Ruin.... And that's because this plot idea came to me as an AU of that AU. This is basically the last half of that ficlet. Enjoy!

A few hours later, they'd decided to stop for the evening at a run down motel. Seth slipped out of the car and folded the seat down, holding a hand out to Kate. She ignored it, pulling herself out of the car and stretching again. "Where are we?" She asked.

Seth shrugged. “Not quite to El Paso. C'mon." He waited for Richie to grab the duffel with their money out of the trunk then led them up to their room.

"I'm gonna hit the shower, try and clean this up," Richie announced, setting the bag aside and holding his hand up.

"Don't take too long, two other people out here, Richard," Seth replied. Richie just waved him off and Seth went over to the mini fridge, pulling out one of the small bottles. "You want one?" He asked, holding it up.

Kate shook her head, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I.... I don't drink," she mumbled, tracing over the mark on the back of her hand. "I mean I had a glass of champagne at a cousin's wedding one time but..."

"Oh, a real deviant aren't you, sweetheart?" Seth teased. He sat on the other bed, kicking his feet up and knocking back the small bottle of Jack.

Kate scoffed. "Don't call me that," she pouted, eyeing him with disdain. She glanced to his hand where his mark was. "I wanna go for a swim," she said.

Seth smirked. "Yeah right. So you can go run and tell the first person you see that the infamous Gecko Brothers are holed up in here?" He shook his head. "No dice, Princess. You can fill up the tub and splash around when Richie's done if you want though."

Kate frowned, folding her arms in front of herself. "I won't tell," she said. "And you know I won't go far. I'm not a masochist." She sighed, frowning some. "Cmon," she said, "it's like a hundred degrees outside, and a hundred and ten in this room. You can even come supervise."

Seth thought for a moment. He knew it was risky, letting her out, going outside the hotel room at all, but she was right, it was like a sauna in that room. He peeked out the window and saw that there was nobody at the pool, and sighed. "Fine. But it's not like either of us has a suit."

Kate shrugged. "I just want to stick my feet in, at least," she said. She stood and grabbed a towel, tossing one to Seth.

He grabbed it and slipped off the bed, nodding to the door. "You get ten minutes."

"Thirty," Kate countered, raising her eyebrow.

"Fifteen, and I don't shoot you."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Fine, come on," she said, walking past Seth and out to the pool. He followed along closely, sitting in a chair near the edge of the water. Kate laid the towel out and sat on it. She slipped her sandals off and dipped her feet into the water, sighing happily. "Not exactly how I saw today going," she mumbled, letting her head fall back and her eyes close.

"Oh? And how did you see today going?" Seth asked, trying not to stare too obviously at the girl in front of him. She was barely eighteen. And she was their hostage. And he was bonded to her... He shook his head and sighed. They were bank robbers, not deviants, after all.

Kate looked over her shoulder, shrugging. "Not like this," she replied. “I just wanted to get my money and get outta town. I definitely didn't expect to hear these words today, especially from a thief." She waved her hand at Seth then looked back to the water.

Seth chuckled. “I know the feeling,” he teased. “What are you running from?”

Kate frowned, looking back to the water. “I’m not running,” she said. “I just... needed to get away.”

“Hate to break it to you honey, but that’s the definition of running,” Seth replied. “C’mon, you’re stuck with me for a while. So spill. Crazy ex? Default on your student loans? Drugs?”

“Leave it alone,” Kate grumbled, clenching her fists.

“So drugs huh?” Seth replied with a smirk. “How hard we talkin’? You—”

“I said leave it!” Kate snapped. “I don’t owe you anything. Just let me rest a minute before you drag me back into that damned room.”

Seth frowned, rubbing the back of his hand where his mark had started aching, opting not to respond. He leaned back against the chair, sighing. After a while, the aching had subsided some and he glanced at his watch. “C’mon, time’s up,” he said, standing. “Let’s head back.”

Kate sighed and stood, drying her feet off and slipping her sandals back on. “…I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I shouldn’t have snapped.”

Seth shook his head. “Yeah well, I pried,” he said. “C’mon, before Richie freaks out.”

Frowning, Kate nodded and followed along. Walking back into the room, Richie looked up from where he was sitting on the bed, wrapping his hand in strips of a towel. “Where the hell did you go?”

“Relax, Richard, she just wanted to dip her feet in the water.”

“Are you insane? You could have been seen!”

Seth rolled his eyes. “We weren’t. And it’s a thousand degrees in here.” He looked at Kate. “Hurry up,” he said, nodding towards the shower.

Kate gripped her towel and hurried into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. The water kicked on a minute later and Richie looked to Seth, who had tossed his jacket aside and taken up residence on one of the beds, flipping through channels. “What the hell, Seth?”

Seth rolled his eyes. “I’m just being a decent human being,” he said, rolling the sleeves up on his shirt. “I’m not the one who fucking kidnapped her, Richard. And if at least one of us isn’t a total dick, maybe she’ll actually help us get across the border!”

Richie sighed, shaking his head. “This Bonding thing is going to your head," he said. "I know we're stuck with her for a while, but we gotta get this sorted out as soon as possible."

Seth rolled his eyes again. “I know, trust me,” he replied. “Now go get us some tacos or, I dunno, figure out how to get us across the fucking border.”

Richie scowled but nodded. “Fine. I'll try to contact Carlos and see what I can find out.” He grabbed a key card and slipped out of the hotel room without another word. 

Seth groaned, flopping back on the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. This was getting too complicated. They just needed to get across the border and get rid of the girl as soon as possible before the whole thing really started to affect him.

Hearing the water turn off, Seth glanced towards the bathroom then looked back to the tv. A minute later, Kate came out, redressed and drying her hair off. “All yours,” she said softly, perching on the other bed, facing Seth.

“I'm good,” he said. "I'll uh, wait for Richie to get back."

Kate rolled her eyes. “I’m not gonna run,” she said. “I don’t have anywhere to go. Honestly, I probably would have gone with you without having to be duct taped."

"Yeah? And why word you do something like that?" Seth asked with a smirk.

"Because we're bonded, like it or not," Kate replied with a shrug. "And I said before, I'm no masochist. I'd have come just to keep from going through everything separation does to a person. Anyway...." She shrugged, combing her fingers through her hair. "Not like anybody would come looking."

Seth raised an eyebrow. “The Gecko Brothers kidnapped you, I’m sure at least someone out there is trying to find you.”

Kate shook her head, pulling her feet up and leaning against the headboard. “You give the people of Abilene too much credit, Seth Gecko,” she said with a weak smile.

Seth raised an eyebrow, about to ask when he thought better of it. He shrugged instead, going back to flipping through the channels.

“You ever spend time in Abilene?” Kate asked after a few minutes. “Besides the whole bank robbing thing.”

Seth shook his head. “Can’t say that I have,” he replied, glancing over at her.

“There’s not a lot to see, or do for that matter” she mumbled. "Not if you aren’t a tourist. You either shoot guns or you shoot up, or both.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “My momma opted for the latter,” she said softly after another minute. “She overdosed a few months back.” 

Seth sat up a little more, frowning. “Shit, that’s rough.”

Kate shrugged. “That was the easy part. At least I knew she wasn’t suffering anymore. But now my daddy's a drunk and my brother's a dealer. I haven’t even seen Scott in two weeks. He could be dead too for all I know.”

“So what, you’re looking for him?”

Kate shook her head. “My dad uh… gets angry when he drinks sometimes. Beat me up pretty good before passing out. I just couldn’t…. I had to get out. Thought I’d make it to Cabo, at least but…. well, here I am.” She gave a half-hearted chuckle and shook her head. “How’s that for tragic backstory, Seth Gecko?”

Seth shrugged. “It’s a good one,” he replied. “Might even be up there with mine.”

“Oh?”

Seth smiled, shaking his head. “I’m not drunk enough for that, Princess,” he replied. “Nice try though.”

Kate sighed, stretching back on the bed, looking over at Seth. “C’mon. What are you running from?” she asked.

“Besides literally running from the police?” he teased. “Nothing. Just trying to get to the next payoff.”

\--

Early the next morning, Seth startled awake when he felt someone shake his shoulder, instantly reaching for his gun and pointing it at his attacker. When he finally woke up and saw that Richie was at the other end, he sighed. “What now, Richard?” He asked, setting the gun aside and flopping back down.

Richie pointed to the empty bed next to theirs. “The girl’s gone,” he said.

Seth rubbed his eyes, looking over to the empty bed and shaking his head. “She didn't leave, I'd know if she did.” He held up his marked hand and sighed, rubbing his face and sitting up. “Maybe she just went to the pool again. Anyway, I thought you had the last watch.”

Richie shook his head, starting to pace. “No, you did, Sleeping Beauty,” he said. “And now she’s fucking gone.”

Seth sighed, climbing out of bed, pulling his slacks on. “Look, just—” The bathroom door opened and Seth looked up at his brother, smirking. "You're an idiot, Richard."

Kate looked up, realizing she'd interrupted something. "Sorry. I uh... Wanted to wash my face. That's all." She glanced at Seth who had just started to pull his shirt on, blushing as she looked away. "I told you I wouldn't run."

Seth patted Richie's shoulder as he walked by, smirking at Kate as he holstered his gun. "Yeah, you did Princess." 


End file.
